Liposuction

Are there areas where you just can’t get rid of excess fatty tissue? You have tried diet and exercise but nothing works! Dr. K. Roxanne Grawe can help sculpt these areas with liposuction to help you achieve your goals to look great. There is minimal down-time and before you know it, you will be thin with the shape you have been dreaming of!

Aspire to be….sculpted!

HOW IT WORKS:

Consultation and Planning:

When you come to a consultation at ROXY Plastic Surgery, Dr. Grawe will examine you and determine if you are a candidate for liposuction. She will talk to you about the differences in SmartLipoTM, Tumescent Liposuction, and Ultrasonic Liposuction and what would work best for your body, skin type, and desired outcome. Some patients have loose skin in the area where there is excess fat. In that case, it may be better to have a tummy tuck (Abdominoplasty), or skin removed from the arms (Brachioplasty) or legs (Thighplasty). Dr. Grawe will provide a personal consultation to talk to you about your specific problems and goals and create a specific plan to help you achieve them.

The Surgery:

Liposuction is an outpatient surgery so you can go home the same day. The surgery takes a couple hours depending on what areas you are having sculpted. There are tiny incisions made in hidden locations and then tumescent fluid is used to break up the fat, stop bleeding, and numb up the area. Fat is then removed and the area is sculpted to the desired shape.

Most people have some discomfort after surgery similar to a bruise feeling. This is easily taken care of with pain medicine which will be prescribed for you by Dr. Grawe. You will be wrapped in compression bandages after the procedure which will help decrease the swelling. There will be some bruising which goes away over the next few days.

You will notice a difference immediately after surgery but you will be very swollen and the results will improve with time as the swelling goes down and the scars fade.

You should not lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk for at least 2 weeks after surgery. You should walk around immediately after surgery and NOT stay in bed. This is important to prevent blood clots. You may remove your outer dressing and shower 48 hours after surgery. You should eat a healthy diet and as much protein as possible to promote good healing.

You may drive and return to work when you are no long taking prescription pain medicine. Most people are able to return to a light duty job about 1-2 weeks after surgery.

Remember that everyone is different. Recovery times and progression is not the same for everyone. The times stated are typical for healthy individuals healing from this surgery. The normal progression of healing may be different for those with health problems, smokers, and those who have unforeseen complications after surgery.

RISKS:

With every surgery there are risks involved including bleeding, infection, blood clots, pain, scarring, delayed healing and need for further surgery. Here are some complications specific to Liposuction:

Asymmetry: Most people are not symmetrical from one side to the other and there may be asymmetries after surgery as well.

Scarring: The scars are placed in hidden locations but scars are permanent. The scars fade and improve over time. There may be a scar that looks worse than normal and additional treatments can be done to improve the result.

Contour Abnormalities: There may be an area that is not contoured exactly how you want it to be. A further procedure may need to be done to correct it.

Hypovolemia: There is a lot of water in fat and if a large amount of liposuction is performed you may have low blood pressure afterwards. Sometimes, Dr. Grawe may have you plan on staying overnight in the hospital if a large amount of liposuction is planned so that you can receive IV fluids during your stay. You will need to hydrate before surgery and drink plenty of fluids after surgery as well.